


The Queen of Swords

by ficklefixal



Series: zero [2]
Category: Bakugan Battle Brawlers, ゼロの使い魔 | Zero no Tsukaima | The Familiar of Zero
Genre: Gen, Implied future friendship, Louisa (OFC) lowkey panics, Spectra doesn't know what her deal is, Spectra doesn't want to think magic is real, Tarot Cards, but she does calm down, but she does suspect smth about you, but they're stuck w/ each other until they find the exit so..., cooperation happens, despite seeing a ball of light pop out TWICE in front of a Resistance member, don't worry she doesn't know what your deal is either, weird flex but ok bitch
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-20
Updated: 2020-02-20
Packaged: 2021-02-27 19:27:19
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,637
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22600957
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ficklefixal/pseuds/ficklefixal
Summary: Desperate times call for desperate measures, though she can't afford to let her emotions cloud her judgement.—She's staring again, he can tell. He wonders if she does anything else.Alternately: a teen mage gets trapped with an enemy, and they now have to work together to get out.
Relationships: Spectra Phantom | Keith Fermin & Original Female Character, Spectra Phantom | Keith Fermin/Original Character(s) (implied and platonic)
Series: zero [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1625356
Kudos: 2





	The Queen of Swords

**Author's Note:**

> "The Queen of Swords represents the importance of making judgments without relying on emotion alone. She beckons you to look at all the facts before making a decision."

After a year of knowing Saito (and three months of calling him her brother-in-law), one would think Louisa Marie le Blanc de la Valliére knew the man well enough to sense when he’s about to say something that would anger her twin. Unfortunately, she didn’t, and that’s how she wound up in this situation: separated from her twin, trapped underneath Alpha City. The two factors alone were fine but… They also had the misfortune of encountering Spectra.

(Or as Louisa privately called him, Feathered Masquerade wannabe.)

He’d seen the explosion; of that she was sure. His mask obscured most of his face, so she couldn’t see how he took it, or how much of it he’d seen—though she knows he didn’t need to see Louise cast the spell to know what happened; her twin snarled the spell’s name before it flew from her wand.

The spell did its work; it blew up the part of the tunnel they were in, and she hopes that Saito got hit by a pebble or two for his smart mouth. Honestly, all this time as Louise’s familiar and the idiot still says things that would anger his master. A soft huff leaves her lips, her eyes screwing shut as she tries to keep herself calm. This wasn’t the time for her to panic, she knows, but this isn’t Halkeginia.

This isn’t Tristain.

This isn’t the New Vestroia she heard of.

This isn’t a world she could use her magic in just like _that_.

This isn’t a world she’s familiar with, though when did familiarity assure her own safety?

Most importantly, she thinks, glancing to the male silhouetted in the same darkness blanketing her form, _he_ isn’t someone she should be around, even involuntarily. Despite that, she finds herself staring at him, eyes slowly adjusting to the darkness of their own accord.

She asked the cards about him barely a week after their first encounter, and three cards found their way in front of her: the Devil, upright, and the Magician and the King of Wands, both reversed.

_The Devil, upright. Obsession._

_The Magician, reversed. Manipulation._

_The King of Wands, reversed. Ruthless in the pursuit of his goals._

While she wholly expected to see both the Devil and the reversed Magician, the King of Wands threw her in for a loop. Sure, two of the three cards she drew after asking about Spectra had been the same as the ones drawn after asking about Masquerade, but the fact that Spectra was… well, just Spectra didn’t put her at ease. If anything, her current situation only made her sick to her stomach, waves of distress rolling off her and affecting her magic.

Unconsciously, she reaches for the deck in her pocket, magic calling out for something, _anything_ to help ground her.

The cards have never failed her before, reasons her frazzled mind. They won’t fail her now, right?

She thinks she might have held her breath while waiting for their response, but then her fingers curl around one at the same time she hears the card speak to her.

 _Let not your emotions get the better of you, child._ Summoning a miniscule orb of light, she glances down to the card she drew, almost sobbing in relief when the Queen of Swords stares up at her.

The most logical of the Queens of the Minor Arcana, she knew whatever advice she’d get would keep her alive. Mostly.

 _Objectivity is key,_ says the Queen, and Louisa slowly lets the light fizzle out, eyes sliding shut as she calms herself down.

Desperate times call for desperate measures, though she can’t afford to let her emotions cloud her judgment. It’s a split-second decision, really, but she follows her intuition and creates a bigger ball of light, large enough to dispel most of the darkness near them.

“My name is Louisa,” she says, and he notes the shakiness of her tone, a stark contrast to the light that shone so surely next to her, “I—I may need your help, and I think you need mine to get out of here.”

“And you think I’d help you?” He cocks his head to the side, voice flat as he regards the girl. This is their second interaction, and quite possibly the only one he’d have with her alone, so he’d take the chance to unsettle her as much as she did to him.

(Later, he’d vehemently deny that she ever unsettled him. Much, _much_ later, he would tell her of the unease she caused him upon their first meeting, and she’d laugh, hiding her smile behind a warm mug of tea as they wait for Gus to arrive.

“Seriously?” She would ask him, a brow raised. He’d nod, skin flushing when she laughs _again_.

“Don’t tell anyone,” he mutters, to which she hums.

“Maybe I will, maybe I won’t.”)

“Who knows how long we’d be stuck here otherwise,” she says, and the light shines a little brighter, almost… _angry_ now that he thinks about it. “I’m not necessarily keen on working with a Vexo, but I doubt either of us would want to be down here any longer.”

He doesn’t say so, but she’s right. Vestals weren’t made for dark environments, hence the multitude of lights coming to life every time night fell. It’s probably why he gets up from where he was seated, dusting his pants off and extending a hand to her. She ignores it at first, opting to shake his hand after she stands up.

(He’s half a foot taller than her, maybe more, and he doesn’t know whether to laugh or not. She’s so _tiny_.)

“It’s a deal then, Louisa.” He tests her name out, and doesn’t miss the way the light wavers before it bobs up and down between them.

“Lead the way, Spectra.” He doesn’t need to be asked twice—the sooner they got out of there, the better.

The dirt muffles their footsteps, and though she stays behind him, he knows she’s not that far behind. Their breathing, slow and steady, fills the silence around them, letting him know that she didn’t simply disappear again. Like the last time they encountered each other.

They reach a fork in the path, though that doesn’t stop his pace. He heads straight down the tunnel on the right, paying no mind to how the light flickers before it seemingly rushes after him. A passing thought flashes through Spectra’s mind: where _did_ the light come from? Neither of them had a light source with them, and his gauntlet was being repaired, hence his inability to contact any of the others. A quick glance to the girl behind him (Louisa, he now knows her name to be) confirms his suspicion: she didn’t have a gauntlet either. So _where_?

He mulls over this until they get outside, and he doesn’t need to look to know the light’s disappeared. Louisa stops right beside him, eyes rapidly blinking as she adjusts to the brightness of the world outside the tunnel. Spectra has no need for that, his mask adjusting to the change of environment with ease.

“This is where our paths diverge, Louisa.” He turns to walk away, pausing when she calls his name.

“Thank you,” she says, and irritatingly, he remembers his sister. Mira is nowhere near as short, but there’s something in Louisa’s voice that reminds him of her. With a sigh, he looks back at her, his mind immediately flashing to a memory of a younger Mira. Shaking his head, he jerks it in the opposite direction.

“Take the path to your right. It’ll lead you to the park, and from there, you might be able to contact your… friends.” He doesn’t know if they were her friends, but the brief flash of surprise on her face leads him to believe he was right.

He doesn’t wait around for her reply, taking his leave as soon as she nods. Even as the distance between them grows, he still can’t shake the feeling of eyes on his back. She’s staring again, he can tell. He wonders if she does anything else.

(Later, Gus will end up asking that very question in his stead, though she’ll brush off the question with a shrug. Spectra gets the feeling that she’s not the type to give straightforward answers, much to his chagrin.)

When he gets back to their base in Alpha City, it’s to a frantic Gus and reports of an earthquake. It wasn’t enough to cancel the tournament tomorrow, but it did incite enough panic to warrant vigorous monitoring of New Vestroia’s tectonic movement. He wonders if the other pink-haired girl had anything to do with it, or if it was just a coincidence.

Whatever the case, he’s sure he’ll get an answer from them.

Meanwhile, Louisa draws a card again, her mind clearer and chest looser. Spectra was… something, she’ll admit. She has no idea what his goal is, but when the Chariot stares at her, she gives a resigned sigh.

Of _course_ he’s determined to achieve whatever it is he wants. She draws a card again, this time focusing the question on the Vexos. A reversed Three of Pentacles reveals itself, and she allows a smile to flicker onto her face. Maybe Spectra would be a thorn in their side, but the Vexos would get in each other’s way, something they could use to their advantage.

Returning the two cards to her jacket, she straightens up and rejoins the rest of the Resistance, laughing when half of them nearly jump out of their skin when she shows up.

Whatever it is the Vexos have in store, they’ll cross that bridge when they get there. For now, she’s content to be around new allies and old friends alike—though she could do without the fussing from Louise.


End file.
